Manila Mayor Isko Moreno (FILE PHOTO)
MANILA. Philippines — Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer Isko Moreno wrapped up Team Isko’s three-day sortie in the Cagayan Valley region and Kalinga province by making a commitment to protect the welfare and livelihood of farmers if he gets elected as president.
Speaking before residents of Tabuk City who are mostly farmers, the 47-year-old presidential candidate also vowed to go hard against smugglers of rice, garlic, onion and vegetables as this is the primary reason why farmers cannot sell their produce on good prices.
“On top of that madadamay na rin yan doon sa ating anti-smuggling campaign para sa iba pang mga produktong pang-agrikultura nang mapangalagaan naman at mabigyan, at least mapanatag yung mga nagtatanim o nag-aalaga ng hayop na yung kanilang pinaghihirapan eh mapakinabangan ng kani-kanilang pamilya,” Moreno assured Kalinga farmers.
Moreno maintained there should be a balance in everything when it comes to food supply, which ensures the country’s food security.
“Kaya nga ngayon over supply, there is a balance on everything. Kasi kung may magandang demand, matutuwa naman yung ating mga magsasaka eh ang problema wala ngang demand so binabarat sila ngayon kasi umaapaw yung bigas sa Pilipinas. O ngayon susunod siyasatin ninyo yung sibuyas naman ang tatamaan sa Nueva Ecija so sinasabi natin dapat there is balance on everything, maganda ang intensyon pero pagdating sa implementasyon baka naman naaabuso na ng ilang indibidwal lamang, at sila lamang ang nakikinabang,” Moreno explained.
Moreno’s commitment to farmers also includes bringing down the prices of fertilizers which have recently gone up as some unscrupulous businessmen are reportedly cornering the supply from small traders who are willing to sell them at a slightly higher price.
“Nagtataka ako bakit naman sumobra ang taas ng presyo ng fertilizer? Itong fertilizer about a year ago almost P 900 – P 1,000 lang. Ngayon, P 2,500 – P 2,600 na. So, kahit naman kayo lumugar sa buhay ng magsasaka, yumuyuko ka araw-araw sa gitna ng init ng araw. Minsan pagka- minalas-malas ka pa mabagyo, masalanta ng bagyo yung pananim mo. So, wala nang kapana-panalo. So again, if we really believe, food security is threat to national security then, we must confront and address this (high prices of fertilizer) in favor of our agriculture sector,” Moreno pointed out.
Protecting the welfare and livelihood of farmers, Moreno said, also calls for a review of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) which allowed an influx of cheap rice from abroad resulting to lower domestic prices and hurting farmers’ income.
Moreno made the commitment in a town hall meeting Saturday attended by his vice presidential bet Dr. Willie Ong and Aksyon Demokratiko senatorial bets Dr. Carl Balita, Samira Gutoc and Jopet Sison along with guest candidate Bro. John Castriciones.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed the RTL (Republic Act No. 11203) on Feb. 14, 2019, which ended the National Food Authority’s power to issue import permits, removed quantitative restrictions on rice imports and replaced them with a 35 percent import tariff. This allowed an influx of cheap rice from abroad to the detriment of Filipino farmers’ livelihood.
“So, that’s why here in Kalinga, I made a commitment kanina na iparerebisa ko yung Rice Tariffication Law. At habang ginagawa yung batas because it will take time na maipasa yung batas, baka naman mamaya wala nang magtatanim kasi luging-lugi na (mga magsasaka). So, bilang estado, meron naman tayong kapangyarihan doon sa qualitative portion, ibig sabihin pahihirapan natin na mag-import nang mag-import na walang pakundangan kundi doon tayo, gagamitin natin yung kakayanan natin bilang estado sa quality ng mga produktong imported na ito so doon, dadaan sila sa butas ng karayom,” Moreno explained.
Agriculture is one of the main pillars of Team Isko’s 10-point Bilis Kilos Economic Agenda which is his administration’s blueprint to accelerate human and economic growth.
Besides giving agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) the rightful ownership of the lands awarded to them, Moreno said among the first economic policies that his government will introduce is to cut the excise tax of petroleum products by 50 percent to bring down the prices basic commodities and raise the income of farmers and fisherfolks.
Moreno had said his administration will buy the rice and vegetables of local farmers at the right price to assure them of their income and help them become competitive. The Manila city mayor will also issue clear guidelines about the strict importation of agricultural products to make sure that local producers can sell their products first before importation is made.
“‘Yung food security is very important. During the pandemic naramdaman natin ‘yan, ngayon there is uncertainty in the world because there is so much animosity between countries so hindi malayo, sana huwag namang mangyari, katulad ng nabanggit ko sa posibleng krisis sa Taiwan kung saan malalagay sa alanganin ang buhay at kaligtasan ng about 150,000 na OFWs, so ‘yun ang commitment ko dito,” Moreno said.
Moreno added: “If food security is the number one threat to national security, then the country and the state must invest to our Filipino farmers. And if we can uplift our farmers’ lives, we will make a massive stride towards eradicating poverty.”
Tabuk City was the last leg of Team Isko’s three-day barnstorming of the provinces of Quirino, Isabela, Cagayan and Kalinga that shattered the mythical “Solid North” of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
“Hindi ko alam kung yun ba ay urban legend (Solid North) basta ako masaya ako. Yung mga tao binibigyan at pinapakitaan nila kami nang mainit na pagtanggap. In fact, as you can see here in this region nakikita mo napakaunti ng populasyon dito pero, kahit ano pa, nagsama-sama sila o nagpaparamdam sila na welcome tayo dito sa Kalinga,” Moreno said.
“So, we will continue to do so wherever it is, whether it is in Southern Luzon or Northern Luzon. Basta, ito naman naniniwala ako ano mang tigas ng bulalo, lalambot din ‘yon. So, if there’s truth behind the question eh sana makaamot man lang ako ng kaunting boto, kahit kaunti lang masaya na ako,” he said.